Quez Watkins Making Case for Heavy Role in Nick Siranni's Offense

The second-year WR took his solid camp practices to another level Sunday night at the Linc and appears to have a leg up over injured John Hightower for a roster spot

PHILADELPHIA – If John Hightower didn’t hear the footsteps of Quez Watkins before Sunday night, he is now.

Watkins showed nearly 26,000 fans at Lincoln Financial Field some of the plays he made throughout the first nine days of training camp.

He made the catch of the night, high pointing a throw from about 50 yards from Jalen Hurts that required him to outleap safety Anthony Harris in the end zone. Watkins also made a diving catch near the goal line during receiver one-on-one drills against defensive backs with Craig James on coverage.

Meanwhile, Hightower watched helplessly from the sideline, listed as week-to-week with a groin injury. Until the injury, Hightower had shown some good flashes during various practices.

Missing time while rehabbing an injury isn’t a good thing on Nick Sirianni’s watch. The head coach revealed his philosophy about the value of practice time when asked about linebacker Davion Taylor, who is also week-to-week with a calf injury.

The answer could easily apply to Hightower and even linebacker JaCoby Stevens, who, after making his first interception during a recent practice, is now week-to-week with a hamstring.

“I hope you guys know practice is how we get better,” said Sirianni. “Practice is how we prepare for the game. I'm obsessed with practice. I know how important it is. It's just the common denominator for good teams. They know how to practice, and they know how to practice hard. So, of course, if you miss some time, you're going to have some setbacks there.”

Taylor’s stock was way up, getting plenty of first-team reps in the early days of camp. Now that Alex Singleton has returned from the Reserve/COVID list, Taylor could be facing a numbers crunch to make the final roster.

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Same with Hightower.

One of the key watches when training camp began was the bottom end of the roster at the receiver position, which meant a potential battle between Watkins and Hightower to be the fifth receiver.

“The receiving room is always competitive,” said Watkins last week. “Everybody is trying to make plays. Everybody trying to win a job, have an opportunity. So, for us, we’re always going to compete.”

Watkins may be playing his way into more than just a fifth receiver role. After a slow start to camp, he has been one of the more consistent pass-catchers in camp along with Travis Fulgham. Jalen Reagor is also beginning to flash more, and on Sunday night he made some nice catches.

Travis Fulgham (right) :: John McMullen/SI.com Eagle Maven

Greg Ward has been steady, if not spectacular.

Already, DeVonta Smith is hurt. Four days into camp and he suffered a sprained knee that has him week-to-week. He’s not in any in danger of losing his job, of course, but how durable a 166-pound WR can be is open for even greater debate now.

Michael Walker started fast but has been slowed by a foot injury.

The receiver waiver wire will be an interesting place to keep an eye for the Eagles on once cuts begin, which, believe it or not, begins on Aug. 17 when each team must trim their rosters to 85 by 4 p.m.

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As for Watkins, the sixth-round pick from 2020 said last week that he feels much more comfortable in his second year following a rookie season in which he came on late to make seven catches for 106 yards and a touchdown

“Last year, I kind of got my feet wet the last couple of games, so I knew what to expect coming in this year,” he said. “I feel like I see everything so much more clearly. The defense, the play-calling, and everything. I just know my assignments.”

His speed thus far has been evident, and it's something he spent the offseason working on. Not so much getting faster but trying to make all his patterns look the same.

“Being able to control my speed, make my 75 look like 100, and my 100 look like 100,” he said when asked what about his route-running he worked on in the offseason. "Being in control of my routes and being able to move in and out of my breaks.”

Watkins then added, “Everybody in this league is fast. Everybody knows I’m the fastest.”

Right now, he appears to be speeding toward a heavy role in Sirianni’s offense.

Ed Kracz is the publisher of SI.com’s Eagle Maven and co-host of the Eagles Unfiltered Podcast. Check out the latest Eagles news at www.SI.com/NFL/Eagles or www.eaglemaven.com and please follow him on Twitter: @kracze.